Process and apparatus for recovering volatile hydrocarbons from crude oil.



c. M. GAY.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING VOLATILE HYDROCARBONS FROMCRUDEAOIL.

APPLICATIONPILED SEPT. 9. 1913.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Snom/dto@ GMO-mugs UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

cAssIUs M. GAY, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PRC-)VCESS 4ANZI) APPARATUS FOR RECOVEIRJIING'` VOLATILE HYDROCARBONSFROM CRUDE OIL.

To allwkom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CAssIUs M. GAY, a]

citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county ofLos Angeles, State of California, have invented certa-in new and usefulImprovements in Processes and Ap-A paratus for Recovering VolatileHydro-l raised to a high temperature andthe lighter products driven oifare condensed in coolers. The product of this partial distillation' isnot sold commercially, but is sent to the refinery,

where it is further treated and gasolene orr other salable volatilehydro-carbons o btained.

An object 0f the present invention is to provide a process of treatingthe crude oil as it comes from the well, whereby a salable gasolene orother volatile hydro-carbon 4is,

directly obtained. c

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whereby theabove process may be carried out and wherein thel natural gas or othercarrier gas utilized in the process may be reclaimed and `again used forseparating the gasolene or other volatile hydro-carbons from the oil. l

These and other objects will' in part be obvious, and will in part behereinafter more fully described.

)The figure of the drawings illustrates more 0r less diagrammatically anapparatus embodying my improvement, and for carryingl out the improvedprocess.

In the treating of the oil in order to recover the lighter products bythe processes heretofore used, wherein the oil is heated to a hightemperature, the distillates are of il low grade.

condens'ers .izing the oil, said Patented Apr. 11, 191e.

The present invention consists gener-y ally in separating the volatilehydro-carbons from the crude oil by a process which does not require aheating of the oil to a high degree, and, therefore, the distillatesrecovered are of a much higher grade. This is accomplished by atomizingthe crude .oil with natural gas which has a great aflinity for gasoleneand other volatilel hydrocarbons. Thisl atomized oil is passed to lwhere it is subject to condensa tion, and the gasolene or othervolatilehydro-carbons held in suspension by the natural gas is throwndown and recovered,

, and this volatile hydro-'carbon is of a high grade and a readilysalable quality.

.Referring more in detail to the apparatus shown in the accompanyingdrawing, the

process will'be better understood from a descrip'tion thereof. Thisapparatus consists ,of a saturater 1, which, as heremshown, is 1n theform of a cylindrical metal chamber.

lThe crude oil is drawn from the well or from a reservoir. in which itis stored by an o1 l pump 2. The oil is delivered through a pipe 3 to anoil heater 4, where the oil is subjected only to sulicient temperatureto aid in the atomizing of the same. From the oil heater the oil isdelivered to the atomizers 5 and 6, which project into the saturatlngchamber 1, at points adjacent the bottom thereof. When natural gas isused for atomgas is .passed from a gas compressor 7, to a gas receiver8, and from the gas receiver 8 through pipes 9 and 10 to the atomizers.It will be understood that the pipes delivering the oil and the gas tothe atomizers are supplied with suitable valves, whereby the. properamount of gas may be regulated and also the pressure of the gas and oilas delivered to the saturater. At the top of the saturater l, I haveprovided an outlet pipe 11. Baiile plates 12 and 13 arearranged acrossthe upper end of thesaturater. The'heavier oils, which are not atomized,are held back by the baflie In order to avoid the use of a safet valve,or vacuum valve onl the saturatcr, yextend the drain pipe 14 downward toform a very deep siphon. The discharge end 15 of the siphon is Somedistance below the bottom of the saturation chamber, which insures amediate cooler and gas compressor the saturated gas passes through apipe 20, to the first condenser 21, and fromI the first condenser 21upwardly through a second condenser 22. rlhese condensers are preferablyarranged one above the other, and the cooling water will pass first overthe second condenser and then over the irst condenser, so that the'second condenser will be given a slightly lower temperature than theiirst condenser.' The irst condenser is provided with an outlet orcollecting pipe 23, through which the low grade volatile hydro-carbon iscarried oil from the condenser, while the second condenser is providedwith a collecting pipe 24, through which the gasolene or other volatilehydro-carbon separated from the gas is drawn. rlhe gas and volatilehydro-carbon not condensed in these two condensers is then passedthrough a pipe 25, to a third condenser 26. rlhis third condenser-iscooled preferably to a temperature of about zero Fahrenheit, and thegasolene or other volatile hydro-carbon separated from the carrier gasis led through a pipe 27 to a suitable storage receptacle.

I have shown herein a pipe 23, connected to the' pipe 24, and the pipe27, and, therefore, the different grades of gasolene or other volatilehydro-carbon separated from the atomized oil may be blended and conveyedto the shipping tanks.

rlhat portion of gas used for atomizing the oil which still resistscondensation" under the combined pressure and low temperature obtainedin the condenser 26, is passed to a receiver 28. The condenser 26 may becooled by a suitable ice machine 29. Suitable pipes 3() and 31 carry therefrigerating fluid from the ice machine to the condenser 26. The

ice machine 29, the oil pump 2, and the gas .compressor may all bedriven from a suitable gas. engine 32. The vgas utilized in connectionwith the engine may be drawn from the dry gas receiver 28.

The gas for atomizing the oil may be taken `directly from the well whennatural gas is used, or may betaken from the receiver 28 by a pipe 33,which connects therewith.

From the above it will be apparent that ll have provided an apparatuswherein the crude oil may be heated sufliciently to assist in theatomizing of the same, after which the crude oil is atomized by asuitable lgas, preferably natural gas, the topped oil collected anddelivered to a' storage tank, while the atomized oil carrying thelighter volatile hydro-carbons passes through condensers, and thegasolene or other volatile hydro-carbons are separated from the gas, andthe dry gas may be again utilized for atomizing the oil. I have,therefore, provided an apparatus in which the gas used for separatinggasolene or other volatile hydro-carbons from the crude oil may be usedoverl and over again, and, in eilect, becomes the active medium forseparating the gasolene from the crude oil, and carrying the same to apoint where the gasolene may be condensed and recovered.

While my inventionis especially intended and adapted for the recoveringof gasolene, it is also obvious that. it may be utilized for recoveringother lighter volatile hydro-carbons, as has already been referred to inthe description of the process.

While I have also described an apparatus for carrying out my process, itwill be obvious that other devices may be utilized for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

,1. The process of reclaiming gasolene from crude oil, consisting inheating the oil 5 only sufficiently to assist in atomizing the same, andatomizing said oil with natural gas, and subsequently separating thegasolene from the atomized oil by condensation.

2. The process of reclaiming gasolene from crude oil, consisting inheating the oil only sufficiently to assist in atomizing the same, butnot suiiciently to drive ofi distillates,and atomizing the oil withnatural substantially at atmospheric pressure and finally separating thegasolene lfrom the atomized oil by condensation.

3. An apparatus for treating crude oil, consisting of a saturatingchamber, an oil heater, means whereby gas may be utilized for drawingthe oil from the oil heater, and for atomizing the oil as it isdelivered to the saturater, whereby said gas becomes saturated with thelighter volatile hydro-carbons contained in said oil, and condensersconnected with said saturating chamber for separating the volatilehydro-carbons from the atomized oil.

4. ,An apparatus for treating crude oil,

consisting of a saturating chamber, an oil isa heater, means whereby gasmay be utilized for drawing the oil from the oil heater, and foratomizing the oil as it is delivered to the saturater, whereby said gasbecomes saturated with the lighter volatile hydro-carbons contained insaid oil. and condensers connected with said saturati-ng chamber forseparating the volatile hydro-carbone from the atomized oil, and meanswhereby the gas may be reclaimed and again utilized for 10 atomizing theoil.

ln testimony whereof, I ailix in v signature. in the presence of twowitnesses.

CASSIUS M. GAY.

Witnesses NORMAN H. GAY, ELLA Sco'r'r.

